WITH COUNT TOLSTOI. 115 



the house of strict temperance, where the master lives 

 on curds and koumiss, cutlets and a bottle of wine were 

 set out for the visitors. We ate the cutlets but left 

 the wine untouched. 



" I thank you very much for coming," said the Count, 

 as he' shook hands and advised us to be careful of our 

 horses. 



" I wish you a pleasant journey to the Crimea," said 

 the Countess, " and a safe return to America." 



Russia is a country where fantastic religious ideas 

 seem to find a congenial soil. The dwarfing of the 

 people's intellects in matters political, is productive of 

 curious expansions in other directions. Between Mos- 

 cow and Tula I stumbled upon a truly queer religious 

 idea. None but a logical mind could, however, have 

 conceived it. It is intended chiefly to comfort and 

 console people of a doubting and skeptical turn of 

 mind. People who are so unfortunately constituted 

 that they don't know whether or not to believe in the 

 existence of a personal God, and are forever casting 

 about for light on the subject, are instructed by the 

 new religion to " pray to the power that is responsible 

 for their existence." By adopting this broad ground, 

 all fears of missing the mark, so to speak, are done 

 away with, and none need be afraid of going astray 

 through ignorance or misconception. 



